“Remember” is a repeated command throughout Scripture. Remembering what God has done, remembering what God rescued us from, and remembering who we are called to be in Christ are what we are told again and again to remember.
Often, when the people of God turned away from him, it was a result of failing to remember. In one example, Judges 3:7 summarizes their failure to remember and the associated consequences: “The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.”
It strikes me how frighteningly easy it is to forget or to remember something incorrectly. In Numbers 11, the people of Israel are complaining about the apparent monotony in the food God is miraculously providing. They seem to forget they were slaves living under brutal conditions in Egypt and suddenly remember slavery as the good old times. “We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna” (Num. 11:4-6).
And so, God repeatedly calls his people to remember something that seems quite difficult to forget. “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt.” In other words, remember what God brought you out of, how God saved you and what God has now called you to.
We forget so easily, so quickly. This is why anniversaries carry value. This is why in a few months we will pause to remember 500 years of God working in, through and on behalf of our Anabaptist ancestors. There are numerous examples of faithfulness in those who came before us, and remembering their stories is part of why we mark anniversaries.
While anniversaries are helpful, they don’t happen every day. In fact, anniversaries are so infrequent, we can forget to celebrate them. Perhaps the best way to remember is daily practice.
Do we remember that at the heart of the Anabaptist tradition is a deep commitment to both being and making disciples of Jesus? Or is our culture, our busyness and the things we pursue causing us to forget our calling? Remembering is more than a mental exercise; it is also carried out in our actions. Remembering and obedience go hand in hand.
Do you clearly remember your calling in Christ? Is your memory foggy, or have you perhaps forgotten altogether? Jesus gave a clear commission to his followers to go and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching others to obey everything Jesus commands of us. This calling is for all of us; it is who we are to be. And yet, if we look closely at many local churches, it does appear at some level this has been forgotten.
Today, will you tend to your memory by intentionally seeking Jesus as his disciple and by helping others to do the same?
Aaron Box began serving as the USMB national director in July 2024. Previously, Box served for 13 years as senior pastor of North Park Community Church in Eugene, Oregon. He has more than 20 years of ministry leadership experience. Box served on the USMB Leadership Board from 2014-2022 and has extensive volunteer experience leading in his local community. Box and his wife, Jennifer, have two children and reside in Eugene.
